The present invention relates to a safety transport system for hazardous or valuable chemicals, particularly those chemicals in liquid form. The disclosure of this invention has previously been described in Federal Republic of Germany Patent application Ser. No. P 36 44 088.4, filed Dec. 23, 1986, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
It is known to move hazardous or valuable chemicals such as hydrocarbons, liquefied gases, acids, or other chemicals in liquid form, in large tank vehicles by the usual means of transportation in highway, rail, air or marine traffic.
It is further known to carry such hazardous materials, and especially pressurized substances, for example, liquified gases such as methane, propane, nitrogen, oxygen, etc., in tanks of relatively small volume. Shipping these gases in many individual tanks of relatively small volume is often utilized in the case of manufactured gases, where numerous pressure tanks on skids form a unit load. When such unit loads are carried on regular flat-bed trucks, traffic accidents are likely to occur thereby causing incalculable harm to the environment as well as human life.
It is possible that even greater endangerment of the environment and human life may occur when a tank is damaged through technical shortcomings or human failure. Frequently, in such situations, the flammable and/or toxic hazardous liquid is spilled and ignites or explodes. Accidents of this type are known to have occurred increasingly throughout the world over the last few decades, causing vast human suffering as well as destruction to the environment.